Interview with French SEO Consultant Jérémie Politi

Today, we welcome Jérémie Politi, French SEO consultant at the head of SmartWeb Group french SEO agency. We will talk about digital marketing, in particular by addressing different topics related to SEO. The interview will be interesting for those who are interested in Seo in the French market and want to launch a French-language version of the website. 

Digital Marketing is a very interesting subject that has been of great importance for several years, so we will take this opportunity to learn more.

1. How many years of experience in digital marketing do you have?

SEO is a real passion for me. I have more than ten years of experience if we count the years of high school during which I started to practice SEO.

2. In which branch of digital marketing or SEO do you have the strongest skills?

I have the strongest skills in SEO, and more particularly in link building, a branch in which I am specialized. I work in this way for many foreign companies interested in french link building services. These links are called backlinks. Linkbuilding is an SEO strategy that consists of setting up links, which can be assimilated to gateways between websites. Backlinks come from a web page A to point to another web page B and thus allow to navigate between different websites.

3. What projects are you proud of?

I am very proud of everything I have been able to do so far, especially since each experience with each of my clients is a unique adventure that I live with the greatest enthusiasm. Every successful project makes me even more proud of myself and my team!

4. What do you do to further your own SEO knowledge and skills?

I work tirelessly, I do the maximum for my clients! In fact, in web marketing more than in other fields, skills improve by working and exploring other horizons. For my part, taking care of each project, which is unique, helps me to deepen my knowledge in terms of SEO. But the other trick is to do tests that will serve as a laboratory. If my tests are successful, I will apply them to my clients.

5. Is there any marketing or SEO blog you like most of all and why?

I regularly follow several digital marketing blogs. There are so many… But I’ll give you an example anyway. Neil Panel is one of my favorite blogs because it deals with interesting topics with a language that speaks to me.

6. Who do you consider to be the best experts in SEO and digital marketing?

In my opinion, it is the SEO experts who continue to be trained every day. In the quest for perfection, they are always improving and following the evolution of the marketing world.

7. What are the TOP-3 errors you made at the beginning of your digital marketing career?

The top 1 mistake, I would say the fact of having wanted to juggle between several customers at once. Secondly, have fixed objectives too ambitious. And finally, the fact that it did not take into account the strategy of big competitors in the market.

8. Is the French and English-speaking SEO market very different? what are the main differences?

Yes, there are differences. In general, English SEO is more difficult compared to French SEO, because there are more websites fighting on the same keywords. However, French SEO consultants are recognized worldwide for their skills. Indeed, SEO techniques in France are very advanced.

9. What kind of Local SEO or Marketing opportunities do you use for regional promotion?

With the development of voice searches, geolocation is really the key to the success of local companies. I am looking for different opportunities, to mention only the use of local quotes, the creation, and optimization of a Google My Business page or the optimization of the site’s content by specifying the location, phone number, address, etc.

10. Do you think a personal brand is important for an SEO expert?

Yes, definitely because and this is one of the keys to the success of an SEO expert if you know how to manage it!

11. What SEO tactics do you think are underrated?

I don’t know about the other SEO consultants, because everyone has their own methods. As far as we are concerned, all SEO levers are explored in order to propose the most effective strategy on behalf of our clients.

But in general, I would say that producing optimized content (writing, keywords, content quality…) is an underestimated strategy, whereas it is a very important point. There is also the updating of the information published on the website, which is one of the keys to good SEO.

12. Do you believe that back-links are Google’s past? Is link building important for increasing the website’s positions nowadays?

The backlinks as we have known them in the past have undergone quality filters. And even if we cannot say that they have disappeared, they now have a different aspect, different from the one we have known in the past.

But despite this change, link building is more important than ever, but we must still comply with the new requirements imposed by Google, which has become more stringent. Link building is always one of the key elements to increase a website’s position in Google’s natural results.

13. In your opinion, does the technical health of the website affect the ranking positions in search engines?

Of course, I do! The user experience is an important point of SEO. To improve search engine positioning, it is essential to maintain the technical health of your site: better user experience is as important a criterion as page content and other SEO tactics. You will agree with me that no one would want to waste precious minutes or even seconds on a website that has malfunctioned, and Google knows that too!

14. We all know about the July update from Google. Some websites rose, some of them fell. What do you think about the new algorithm? What are the main new rankings factors SEO and Marketing specialists should pay attention to?

Google’s updates are more stringent in terms of quality. Above all, we must focus on the quality of content and not necessarily on quantity. Also, it is necessary to improve the quality of the content as much as possible because it is really the basis of the new Google ranking criteria. Netlinking is also to be favored for a better ranking in Google’s natural results.

15. How do you see the future of SEO (in 5 years)?

It is a very evolving field, imagining the future of SEO is a very difficult thing. What is certain is that changes will take place and not the least! But to make it short, I will say that SEO will be as essential as ever in 5 years. It may look quite different (new tactics…), but it will be present in any marketing strategy!

16. What services/companies/apps have inspired you the most this year?

This year, I was inspired by many things but the main ones are Google and its new algorithms, reminding me how complex and scalable SEO is. It is necessary to constantly update and especially to be trained in new tools to improve one’s skills.

17. Can you say that you like to use SEO tools in your work? If yes, which ones do you recommend as a must-have for every SEO specialist?

The answer is definitely yes, I like using SEO tools, especially since it is essential for a top-notch SEO! SEMRush is so far one of my favorite tools.

18. What advice can you give for those who are just starting their career in digital marketing?

I can advise them to practice as much as possible, tests are the best experience you can have. If you do digital marketing with desire and passion, you will get good results, so play hard, work hard!